MESA, Ariz. — There are certain figures who command respect in whatever room they walk into.

Dave Stewart and Rickey Henderson are in that category.

Before the A’s hit the practice fields at Fitch Park for their first full-squad workout of the spring Saturday morning, they received a special pep talk from Stewart and Henderson to get them fired up.

Stewart and Henderson spoke about the legacy and tradition of the A’s, something they know well having been part of some dominant teams in the late ’80s.

“With the championship teams of the ’70s and ’80s and then the run of the 2000 ballclubs, it was just having them understand how special that is and seeing them at the beginning of what can possibly be another long run of championship-caliber baseball,” Stewart said. “All those teams were all teams that had a young core group of players that were mixed with veteran-type players to round it out and finish it off.

“These kids are in a similar position. So it was really about the legacy and tradition, about the community and that if they continue to play well, the community will get behind them and help push them to the next level.”

Coming off a year in which they won 97 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014, the A’s are now a target. They surprised the rest of baseball with a wildly successful season, but now comes the hard part: sustaining it.

“At some point last year, the league recognized and realized that these kids were for real and were coming after them,” Stewart said. “Winning and being consistent is difficult. It’s tough not just for a young team, but for any baseball team. They’ve got their work cut out because the league is now aware of the players that are on this ballclub, they know who this team is.

“The difficulty is going to be playing with the awareness that the league is going to throw their best at them. That can present a challenge, but this baseball team is capable of handling that.”

It’s something A’s shortstop Marcus Semien understands. But at the same time, he believes the A’s are out to prove that 2018 was no fluke.

After falling short in their pursuit of the AL West crown last year and earning a wild-card spot, Semien said 2019 is the year for the A’s to take the throne as new kings of the division.

“I think they know we’ve got talent. All the guys we’ve signed keep talking about how great we were last year,” Semien said. “We knew we were dangerous, now everybody knows. Our goal is to catch Houston. They’ve been at the top for a couple of years, now we want to be on top.”

Martin Gallegos is a multimedia beat reporter covering the Oakland Athletics. A native of San Jose, he frequently attended ballgames at both AT&T Park and the Oakland Coliseum as a kid. Prior to covering the A's, he covered the Earthquakes, San Jose State football, and high school sports around the Bay Area. A self-proclaimed "Burrito Connoisseur," Martin is constantly on the search for the best burrito in each Major League city.

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